Your input can help health officials overhaul program

Tuesday

Jan 11, 2005 at 10:34 AMJan 11, 2005 at 11:05 AM

By LAURA McKNIGHT The Courier

GRAY -- If you use or provide long-term health-care services, public-health officials would like to hear from you.

The regional group representing seven local parishes in the Governor's Health Care Reform initiative got an overview Monday night of the state's plans to overhaul its long-term health-care system. The changes are designed to give patients more choices and easier access and streamline the system, which provides care to elderly patients as well as developmentally challenged adults and children.

The group will begin gathering input today from patients and health-care providers.

A "listening session" organized by Bayou Land Families Helping Families will offer patients, advocates and providers an opportunity to air concerns and offer suggestions. The one-day session was scheduled to begin this morning at the Holiday Inn in Houma.

Region 3, which covers Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, St. Mary, St. John, St. James and St. Charles parishes, has until Feb. 15 to submit its input to the state.

In October, Gov. Kathleen Blanco issued an executive order charging several state agencies with developing a plan to improve the long-term care system. Blanco called for an immediate plan that would be implemented before December 2005, as well as the development of a more comprehensive action plan to be implemented before the year 2010.

Officials presented a first draft of the plan Dec. 16.

During the Region 3 consortium's monthly meeting, held Monday at the South Central Planning and Development Commission office in Gray, state Department of Health and Hospitals Deputy Secretary Raymond Jetson presented an overview of the state's draft plan for immediate reforms. Jetson has been traveling across the state to give each regional consortium a rundown of the plan.

According to Jetson, several state agencies teamed with national consultants to craft the draft plan after receiving input from a broad range of stakeholders.

On the administrative end, Jetson said the plan calls for consolidation of services, budgeting, licensing and points of access. The plan is very heavy on consolidation and streamlining, he said, as recommended by several consultants.

Developing a uniform method of connecting patients with services would allow more one-stop shopping, instead of having patients provide several different service administrators with information.

"I, only somewhat tongue-in-cheek, commented to other groups that they have recommended we eliminate some of the 37 hoops and three trampolines that people must encounter to really access services for themselves and their families," said Jetson.

The plan also calls for a waiting-list management strategy that would assess people before putting them on the list and assessing at least one-quarter of the people on the list annually, so people with the greatest need could access services.

Jetson told audience members the plan proposes speeding up the downsizing of public developmental centers. He said the state's nine centers once served between 5,000 and 6,000 people. Today, the nine centers serve about 1,500 people, he said.

Though the downsizing process has already begun, the plan offers ways to speed the process, he said.

Consultants recommended a complete review of the system's rules and regulations to eliminate those unnecessary and address those contradicting each other. According to Jetson, consultants also suggested improving the rule-making process and allowing stakeholders to participate.

Though the draft plan originally included mental-health-care reform, that changed as the plan developed.

Jetson said the state Office of Mental Health views mental illness as a disease, not a disability, though the office does realize a number of long-term care patients might need mental-health services.

Instead, Jetson said the state would address mental health as a separate issue after addressing long-term care.

As Jetson makes his rounds across the state, he will collect written comments and feedback, and state officials will revise the plan based on comments. The state is also examining the proposal's cost to ensure the changes can be implemented without incurring additional expenses. Officials are also determining if the changes would require the Legislature to enact new laws.

Meanwhile, Region 3 leaders hope to gain feedback from residents. Sharon Dousay, chair of the elderly and long-term health-care committee, said input from the public should be submitted before Jan. 20. On that day, the committee will meet and organize public input to present to the full consortium Feb. 1.

After gathering feedback from each region, due by Feb. 15, officials will present the final plan to the governor's panel in March.

The panel will then present the final plan to the governor for her approval, Jetson said.

To give input to the local consortium, contact Bayou Land Families Helping Families at 879-2001 or by e-mail at blfhf@bellsouth.net. When sending e-mail, include the words "long-term care" in the subject line.